Quarter sawing tutorial with pics

[OneWithWood]

During the crash (DC) Texas Timbers (or was it Kevjay) posted some pics on how he set up to quarter saw a box elder log.  His technique was very similar to what I had just learned at the Woodmizer 25th celebration.  When I made a couple comments he asked if I could post some pics of what I learned.  It took me a few days but here are the pics with a bit of commentary.

If anyone sees something I did wrong or has an alternative methodology please chime in.

Here is the subject log awaiting the operation.  It is a nice 22" red maple felled about two days prior.  Nice round logs are not as easy to get a good yield from as are oblong units.
 

After centering the pith I make a single cut to half the log
 

Using the two plane clamp and the log turner I turn the log 90° and make a second cut to quarter the log
 

And there you have a quarter sawn log. 

But what we are after is a quantity of quarter sawn boards so there is a bit more to do.
The hardest part of the whole operation is to push three of the quarters off onto the loading arms, lowering the arms so the head can saw down to the deck.  Invariably one of the quarters will fall off ensuring an enjoyable time placing that one back on the mill when the time comes.

The next cut is to saw out a fair portion of the heartwood thereby eliminating the pith and providing a flat surface.
 

Now turn the cant so the flat is against the supports and saw down to a board or two below the top of the flat.  Where you position the supports will dictate how far into the flat you can go.
 

Turn the cant 180° and saw down to the deck
 

Repeat with the remaining three cants. 

The goal is to produce as many quarter sawn boards and as few rift sawn boards as you can.  Here is a somewhat blurry picture of a quarter sawn 4/4 red mable board

 

Well, I'll be Danged.  Someone stole my board 

I'll get back to you with that.

[beenthere]

OWW
I drew lines on one of your quarters, showing how I helped quarter saw red oak, after first quartering the log as you showed.
 

We put a table on the bunks and clamped it, and it had a fence with a 1" lip on one side.
 

The log quarters would just rest against that fence. The saw was set for 1" lumber, and not moved. After each pass, the quarter was flipped to the other flat face, making narrower lumber each time, all with a waney edge. Sawed each quarter that way until there was no 1" wide cutting left.

Very little waste, and the best high quality wood just below the bark was available to go into the cutting. Did get some crook after drying due to growth stresses, but it goes with quarter sawn lumber. Recovery from a log was great.

[Dave Shepard]

That is a neat approach, beenthere. I like that it is very quick to set up the quarter for each pass, even if the quarter is heavy in bigger logs. Trying to saw from the top down, and flipping each cut would mean a shim cut on each pass. Next time I get a good hardwood log, I will try the "bottom to the top" sawing method.


Dave

[Steve]

Beenthere

That is the approach I always took when QSing with my MD. You definitely want to utilize the wood nearest the bark, always the best...

[Dan_Shade]

from the quartersawing that I've done, I seem to get more figured boards from the method that OWW posted.

It's my definate prefered method.  edging is a hassle with quartersawing.

[Brad_S.]

My opinion is that both methods illustrated above result in too much rift sawn and not enough quarter sawn. I use the method illustrated by Urbanloggers diagram in this link.
http://www.scottbanbury.com/qsawmethod2.pdf
The difference being that when making the opening quartering cuts as illustrated by OWW, a few QS boards are taken at that time, at least one above the opening cut shown by OWW and one below. Usually more than that with bigger logs. This method results in better than 75% of the resulting lumber showing "fire" in oak.

[WDH]

Robert, very nice tutorial.  Even I think that I could do that . 

[Dan_Shade]

I agree with you, Brad_S.  I think most folks do that when they have a really large log.  I don't figure that method is worth it, unless the log is well over 30 inches.

[OneWithWood]

I found the pic of the blurry quartersawn red maple board.
 

Beenthere and Brad thanks for posting some alternatives.  There is one more that is a simplified version of Urban Loggers method.  It can be found in the Woodmizer owner's manual.  Any body got pics of that method?

I think a sawyer would be wise to try all the different methods and then pick the one that fits best for the log and situation at hand.  Each method has plusses and minusses.

[MikeH]

 I agree with Brad if you want the most rays out of oak.
[img]

[OneWithWood]

Nice pics MikeH 

Are you able to get anything out of the the pie slices?

[MikeH]

 Pie Slices = Free heat and hot water all winter. Or maybe you could turn some spindles out of them. I dont have that toy.

[OneWithWood]

they do make nice wheel chocks. 

[ronwood]

I quarter saw like Brad_S and MikeH does. I seem to get the best flake when cutting white oak.

Ron

[scsmith42]

BT - the method that you illustrated is how I quartersaw with my swingmill, with the exception that I don't have to quarter the log first. 

Scott

[Bibbyman]

This goes back a number of years but we've posted on quarter sawing a number of times.

Here's one trick Arky and I have used to make the process easier - especialy with larger logs.



Before...



Make an octagon out of the log first.  It makes it a little smaller,  gets rid of the bark and junk right off the bat, and gives you a flat face to clamp to when you turn the quarters up to slice.

[arkansas]

Been there diagram shows pretty much how I use to saw barrel heads on a table top rig. I am not so sure about the rift sawn part as the head pieces would hold whiskey  .

Michael

[Bibbyman]

Been there diagram shows pretty much how I use to saw barrel heads on a table top rig. I am not so sure about the rift sawn part as the head pieces would hold whiskey  .

Michael

This one?

I posted it years ago under this post..

Quarter sawing a small log

[Kelvin]

Howdy all,
I call OWW method "bastard quartersawing" (sorry about that) and use it primarily on woods that don't show big rays, like cherry, walnut, maple, and undersized oak logs.  We use Bibbyman's method of the octogon to good sucess, but i'd like to add one thing, don't cut in 1/2, cut 1/3 and 2/3rds.  I learned this from ripping big logs with my chainsaw.  I quickly found out i was ruining the best lumber.  Same with ripping a log in 1/2.  You usually have to straighten afterwards as the logs tension will pull it out of true.  I think this really helps on us guys not running supers or diesels which run smaller cuts.  After taking off the 1/3, if flip the 2/3 chunk 90 degrees and rip out the middle for what i see the best 90 degree boards.  THis will include the pith.  Cut the pith off, square up the piece and saw out the widest best QS boards.  THan proceed to cut the wedges as deemed fit based on size.  If you can get moderately wide boards out of "pies" flip them and saw.  I will always throw away 2 rift sawn boards to get one excellent QS board.  Rift sawn brings flat sawn prices and QS sawn brings the premium.  This results in less full width cuts of big logs that my machine with its 25hp kohler doesn't like to do.
Hope you understand description.
KP

[Dan_Shade]

i've started taking leg material out of the corner pieces to minimize the rift "waste".

Kelvin, don't you have a rift/flat sawn face when you open the log up at 1/3 down?  pictures are worth a thousand words